I Feel Penns' Pain

From the time I spoke with Jonas last Wednesday afternoon, I had a
sinking feeling. He said that the water in Penns Creek was low, clear,
and warm. I felt like he told me that a close friend was pretty sick.
On the drive up Thursday afternoon the feeling continued, that low
level conscious/subconscious feeling like something's not right with
the world.

When I got there, I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of water. I
guess I had started to envision the worst- only a trickle of water
coming down Penns under the bridge leading to Hemlock Acres. At least
she had more water than I thought. "She?" Is a creek a she like a
sailing vessel is a she? I don't know but after I unloaded the truck
I headed back down the hill and over to the Feathered Hook. I stopped
along her banks in a couple of places. About a mile above Coburn the
water temp was 80. I drove down Tunnel Road taking her temperature at
Stillhouse Rd and above the railroad bridge. The temperature at
Stillhouse was 78. Above the railroad bridge I measured on the far
side, away from the parking lot by the big trees along the bank. At
about 18 inches under water I got 77 degrees!

My friend Penns was indeed not doing well. The fish kill at Weikert
served to highlight that. The good news, if there is any, is that the
fish that were killed were the one's stocked by the Weikert Sportsman
Club. Let's hope that the natives we have all come to love and pursue
have the wherewithal to find the cool spots, hunker down, and wait for
the cooler weather.

I heard two opposing prognosis on Penns. One is that the natives have
been through it before and they will make it through it this time too.
Then I heard one of the locals say that they haven't seen it this bad
5 or 6 years and there will be residual damage to the fish.

Lets all hope our friend starts feeling better soon.


In the meantime Spring Creek is 62 and fishing well.

Gene Cyprych wrote:

.... The temperature at
Stillhouse was 78. Above the railroad bridge I measured on the far
side, away from the parking lot by the big trees along the bank. At
about 18 inches under water I got 77 degrees!
snip
.......
I heard two opposing prognosis on Penns. One is that the natives have
been through it before and they will make it through it this time too.
.....

That is likely. Has Penns been closed to fishing? (I hope.....)

How'd you do on Spring Creek?

JR

Spring Creek was great. Fished one evening and 2 mornings. Got fish
all of the time. The trico falls happened at 8:15 am one day and about
9 the other. The little zebra fly (size 20 or 22) did the trick in the
evenings.

Gene I fished Penns in the lower project section and did really well
last saturday morning. I fished 5:30 to 8:30am and got 10 trout 3 bass
and 2 chubs. Out of the 30 trout caught over the past 3 trips 3 were
hatchery fish or adipose fin missing fish. The stocked fingerlings seem
to have taken it badly but the natives are doing fine. They find
springs and hunker down during the day, and the springs are pumping
cold water pretty well. Anyway its a night time game right now or
sunrise till about 8am. At every pool I fished this weekend I saw trout
shooting strait up out of the water and crashing all over the place, I
have no idea what they were doing. I didnt see any caddis or hatches
except a sparse trico hatch around 8:30am when I quit and walked back
to the truck. The other week I almost walked on another rattler, I
didnt even see it until I was past it and it shook its tail. In three
weeks we will have better fishing, Even now I'll bet the fishing is
good at sunrise at the upper wire. Its not as bad as people think we've
have had rain almost every week for the whole summer. I dont know about
the upper water because I have been up there since May, but the water
weikert to poe is doing ok.
Bruce

Gene Cyprych wrote:
Spring Creek was great. Fished one evening and 2 mornings. Got fish
all of the time. The trico falls happened at 8:15 am one day and about
9 the other. The little zebra fly (size 20 or 22) did the trick in the
evenings.

Here in Ct we have Thermal refuges from June 15th until September first
you can't fish with-in 100 feet of a tributary or however you spell it
maybe they should adopt that policy every where........Glad you caught
fish softhackle......How ya doing installing the new bathroom did ya
get the jacuzzi and hottub install yet???? Don't forget we have the
Nude Sinkronized ( sp )Swimming Team coming down in October for an
extended visit......

Don't forget we have the
Nude Sinkronized ( sp )Swimming Team coming down in October for an
extended visit......

Man, I hope you're the coach and not on the team.

--
Frank Reid
Euthanize to respond

"Gene Cyprych" wrote in news:1123518220.252432.124260
@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

I heard two opposing prognosis on Penns. One is that the natives have
been through it before and they will make it through it this time too.
Then I heard one of the locals say that they haven't seen it this bad
5 or 6 years and there will be residual damage to the fish.

A creek's a living thing. It has good years, and bad years. The fish will
bounce back, somehow-- maybe over a few seasons, but they'll find a way
back. That's how it works on lush, healthy streams.

Just think about Spring Creek, which had a decimated insect population.
Way I understand it, no-kill on Spring Creek is not a conservation move,
but because of the really high level of pollutants! It's coming back.



--
Scott
Reverse name to reply

Scott Seidman wrote:
"Gene Cyprych" wrote in news:1123518220.252432.124260
@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:


I heard two opposing prognosis on Penns. One is that the natives have
been through it before and they will make it through it this time too.
Then I heard one of the locals say that they haven't seen it this bad
5 or 6 years and there will be residual damage to the fish.


A creek's a living thing. It has good years, and bad years.

It also has good decades and bad decades, and good centuries and bad
centuries, and good millenia and bad millenia.

I think you're saying that fluctuations in nature are natural, which is
true, but something that we have a hard time understanding on a gut
level, because of our short lifetimes and year-by-year attention spans,
is that fluctuations happen over all time scales.

OTOH, the rapture is imminent, so don't worry, be happy.

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.

Gene Cyprych wrote:
From the time I spoke with Jonas last Wednesday afternoon, I had a
sinking feeling. He said that the water in Penns Creek was low, clear,
and warm. I felt like he told me that a close friend was pretty sick.


I've been observing the patterns of rainfall that have moved thru PA
and they seem to dance around Centre and Union counties every time.
Flow levels are comparable to 2001 and 1999. Fortunately the
temperatures have been lower than in 2001 and we may avoid a major
kill.

Jeff

I should have a working shower, toilet, ho****er heater by next
weekend. Stinkbomb central will be ready for the female occupation. Its
going to be a great fall with fantastic fishing, I wouldnt doubt the
best we've seen in years. Right now even if the rain doesnt raise the
creek level there are hundreds of small springs pumping out cold water
all up and down that creek. If you wet waide you will findout what I am
talking about. Its a shame the brookies the club stocked didnt last
they were wonderful. Some of the lower pools actually had hundreds of
them and it was fantastic fishing. Handyman Mike, I met some great
people along the creek this year and found some new access points, I
think you better make a trip in mid October you will like these
spots... Later